The Divine Armor of the Old Century（Book 1）

Chapter 180

On the vast expanse of the land, a pitch-black train almost merged with the night, moving swiftly with a mechanical roar, skimming through snow waves. It sped along as if no past grievances could catch up to it.

Lloyd pushed open the door, letting the fierce cold wind rush in. The soft moonlight scattered by the snow veil dyed the night a hazy gray, like the fog of Old Dunling, enveloping everything. Indistinguishable sounds echoed from behind the curtain, as if monsters were moving beneath the snow.

He glanced down at the pocket watch in his hand. It had been a long time since they boarded, and now it was past midnight. They were far from any human settlements, with only this lonely train traveling within dozens of kilometers.

Closing the pocket watch and shutting the door, Lloyd muttered something under his breath, seemingly calculating the time.

A faint sound came from the dim carriage; Celu had woken up. Wrapped in a blanket, she looked like a caterpillar waiting to break free from its cocoon.

"You can sleep a bit longer. We still have time," Lloyd said.

In the darkness, the girl shook her head.

"I'm a bit tired of sleeping," she replied, sitting up and leaning against the cargo. In truth, she was still somewhat drowsy, but it was difficult to sleep under these circumstances.

A faint, pungent smell lingered in the carriage, seemingly some kind of chemical agent. The carriage swayed and creaked, like a mother's cradle, except this cradle was made of steel and hurtling along the tracks at several tens of kilometers per hour.

"It reminds me of the old days," Lloyd lit a cigarette, the bright flame illuminating his slightly weary face.

"The old days? During the Gallunalo period?" Celu recalled.

Many years ago, it was the same, huddled in a corner of the night, chatting idly. Back then, Celu's world was just that forgotten little town. When Lloyd took her out of the town, she suddenly understood the "world outside."

In an instant, her world expanded from that small town to Gallunalo, to Inlvig.

"No, even longer ago, probably when I was still in the Demon Hunters' Order," Lloyd reminisced.

"Back then, everyone was like this, hunting down heretics. When we got tired, we'd find a random place to rest, sitting around the campfire, leaning on our spiked swords, without words or communication. In the flickering firelight, we looked like warriors of God."

He laughed softly.

It was a peculiar feeling. Even without any sound, you could clearly know you weren't alone. With the flames flickering, you could hear their breathing and feel their presence.

"You seem to miss those days," Celu observed.

"Yes, even though the Evangelical Church was foolish, what did that have to do with me growing up there?" Lloyd reflected.

"Everyone was a good person, even though all the good people died."

"So that's why you want to kill Bishop Lawrence?"

"Of course, they were my good friends. They died without knowing the truth, thinking they were fighting for the holy cause, not realizing it was all because of Lawrence's betrayal."

His voice was calm.

"It's a pity, demon hunters don't have names. We only have dull, monotonous codes... I can't exactly carve some numbers on a tombstone."

No one responded. Celu couldn't understand Lloyd's feelings. Empathy is limited. All she could do was remain silent.

After a long while, she picked up a piece of candy and started chewing, the sound faint, like a rabbit nibbling on grass.